Most people have
smelled a skunk, but haven't seen one. Skunk watching is fun, but keep
your distance! When threatened, they spray a foul-smelling musk from
their rear end.

The
Striped Skunk (right), Eastern Spotted Skunk, Western Spotted Skunk,
Hognose Skunk, and Hooded Skunk are all found in North America. Skunks
are sometimes called civet cats and polecats.

All skunks are boldly
colored. This is an an advertisement to their enemies that they should
not be bothered. They use their bad smell to mark their territory and
to repel danger.

Size:
Striped Skunks are the largest. They are about the size of a house cat
(14 pounds). Spotted skunks are smaller (2 pounds). Hognose and Hooded
Skunks reach up to five pounds.

Characteristics:
The bright black and white color is common to all skunks. Most animals
use color for camouflage, but skunks advertise their presence to ward
off enemies.

Most skunks have
a cat-size body and two full-body stripes that begin at the base of
the neck.

Striped
Skunk

Skunks are primarily
nocturnal. They are active at night. They are usually solitary. They
live alone except mothers and babies. Skunks can be active year-round.

Food:
Skunks are true omnivorous mammals. They eat at night and will consume
insects, rodents, frogs, crayfish, bird eggs and nestlings, plus fruit,
berries, and other plants. Skunks will eat nearly anything they can
find or catch.

Skunks do not store
food, but they will raid the food of others such as weasels.

Habitat:
Skunks adapt to many habitats. They live in open, scrub, wooded, agricultural,
and developed areas. Hooded and Hognose Skunks are usually found in
brushy or rocky land areas. The Western Spotted Skunk can live in dry
areas.

They will den near
water in woodlands, brush, open prairie, and among boulders and rock
crevices. Skunks can dig their own burrows. They often live in the homes
abandoned by other animals. In urban areas, they will also nest in houses,
walls, basements, culverts, and beneath buildings.

Reproduction:
Most skunks mate in late winter or early spring. Gestation time averages
around sixty to seventy-five days. Baby skunks are born in May or June.
The litters are usually four to seven naked, blind kits. By three weeks,
their eyes are open. The young skunks stay in the burrow for about six
weeks. Then, they learn to hunt from their mother during the summer.

Locomotion:
Skunks seldom hurry. They walk slowly. They don't usually worry about
predators.

Den
Habits: Male skunks tend to be solitary. Several females
may den together during winter. Mothers line their dens with grass and
leaves for comfort.

Range:
Skunks are found throughout most of the 'lower 48' states.

Self-defense:
Skunks have two scent glands near the base of their tails. Each one
can spray fine yellow droplets 15 feet or more. Besides the odor,
it can cause temporary blindness and nausea. Even skunks dislike the
smell.

Predators:
Some predators can carry off a young skunk before a mother can spray.
Great Horned Owls strike from above and without warning. Other predators
include coyotes and dogs.

The main threat
to skunks are humans. Many skunks are run over by cars. At one time,
Striped Skunks were hunted for their fur.